1. Technical Field
The invention relates generally to an athletic glove for protecting a player's hand and wrist. More particularly, the invention relates to an athletic glove that allows full mobility of the hand during play and ventilation within the glove. Specifically, the invention relates to a vented athletic glove with a flexible cuff having an integral vent to provide air flow.
2. Background Information
Athletic gloves are well known and used in a variety of sports. In contact sports such as lacrosse and hockey, the glove must provide several functions. First, the glove must be padded throughout in order to prevent the player from being injured. Since sticks are used to control the ball or puck, there is a possibility that a player may be hit on the hands or wrists. To reduce the risk of injury, the gloves are heavily padded on the back of the hand and wrist areas.
The glove must also allow complete movement of the wrist and hand. Hand movement is a key component in the usefulness of the glove since the player must be able to grasp a stick and the ball or puck as necessary. To accomplish this, the padded back side of the glove may be partitioned to allow flexibility, while the palm side is generally a thinner fabric so that the player can grip the stick.
The glove must also provide proper ventilation for the player so that he or she does not sweat. In an attempt to provide ventilation, gloves include mesh areas on the back side of the glove to allow warm air to escape. The mesh areas may be located throughout the glove and are usually between padded areas. While mesh vents provide adequate ventilation, they also have several problems. Since the mesh area has to be close to the hand and cannot be covered, there is no padding at the vent. Without padding, the player could be injured by a stick or ball hitting the mesh vent and the player's hand through the mesh vent. Further, the player's hand is vulnerable to moisture entering the mesh vent. Since the vent is uncovered, moisture can enter the mesh vent and cause discomfort for the player.
Thus, there is a long felt need for an athletic glove which provides appropriate protection from injury while still allowing adequate ventilation flow.